Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Bal Bal Jayoon Main Tore Rangrajwa....Rangrej Mere..

While all languages are great, Urdu, I feel enjoys a special place amongst them. Its elegantness flatters you and its expressiveness romanticises you. I am love with many words within that language, and wish to explore one of them in this blog post.

When you talk about colors (रंग), ‘Rangrej ( रंगरेज )’ or related expressions like ‘RangRajwa ( रंगरजवा )’ crop up in mind. Though its literal meaning is ‘the dyer’….but is often poetically substituted for GOD, Master ( Guru ) or as the Lover,….जो उन्हे उनके रंग में रंग दे …..someone who can color them in their colors.

The Sufi Songs or the ones with Sufiana soul or bent have most expressively used this word. In most usages you will find them easily substitutable, beyond the obvious Dyer, GOD, Master and Lover. When you think of it as the GOD or the Master ( Guru ), then it’s the color of spirituality and when it’s the Master (Lover), then it’s the color of love…both the colors permeate through the mind, body, heart and soul …in a very sublime way… and leaves you intoxicated…in that state, that’s the only color left….and leaves both in unison…it’s the ultimate unison…which uplifts you and transports you to a different world…a world which is much more expansive than the one we live in…a state of forgetfulness, beyond the worldly pleasures…a world in complete trance…a world which is boundless… infinite…this intoxication has to be experienced..

I have picked up a total of three compositions, two from earlier writings and one recent Bollywood song, for detailed treatment, which gracefully captures the expressive essence of the word. I have also added the English translations. Though the translation always doesn’t do justice to original writings …nevertheless…

The first is from the writings of Kabir Sahib (Satguru), the 13th century, mystic and saint. I have translated the same…the translation is not literal…but what lines try to convey …

साहिब* हैं रंगरेज , चुनरी मोरी रंग डारी

स्याही रंग छुड़ाए के रे , दियो मजीठा रंग

धोये से छूटे नहीं रे , दिन दिन होत सूरंग

भाव के कुंडी , नेह के जल में , प्रेम रंग दई बोरी

दुःख देह मैल लुटाये दे रे , खूब रंगी झकझोर

साहिब ने चुनरी रंगी रे , प्रीतम चतुर सुजान

सब कुछ उन पर वार दूं रे , तन मन धन और प्राण

कहत कबीर रंगरेज पियारे , मुझ पर हुए दयाल

सीतल चुनरी ओढ़ी के रे , भयी हों मगन निहाल

*Sahib is generally used for ‘Guru’, as I explained earlier it can also be used for ultimate Lover…

Master has colored my mind, body, heart and soul. He has removed the existing stains and applied fresh color of love

The beauty of this freshly applied color is that…rather than fading ..with every wash ( each day ) it gets brighter and more lustrous…

In the bucket of feelings, which is filled with water of affection...he has mixed the color of love… and when I bathe with this water…it has cleansed the dirt of sorrowness…and now I look even more splendid…

Its my Master who has colored me, he is great..I surrender my everthything onto him…even my ‘self’…my own being

Kabir says, the Master, the benevolent, has blessed me. With his cover of kindness…I feel myself at peace...settled…pure …fullfilled…in a blissful state…

The above composition has been delightfully rendered by Smt Shobha Mudgal Ji and is produced below.

The second one I have chosen is Amir Khusrau’s composition. Khusrau, the 13th century Indian poet, musician, scholar and mystic, has written this for his Master (Guru), Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya.. As earlier, I make no claims of literal translation…but have kept it crisp…as these compositions have so much ‘bhaav’ in it.

छाप तिलक सब छीनी रे, मोसे नैना मिलाइके

प्रेम भटटी का मढ़वा पीलाईके, मतवाली कर लीनी रे , मोसे नैना मिलाइके

गोरी गोरी बहियां, हरी हरी चूड़ियां

बहिंयां पकड़ धर लीनी रे, मोसे नैना मिलाईके

बल बल जाऊं मै तोरे रंगरजवा

अपनी सी कर लीनी रे, मोसे नैना मिलाईके

खुसरो निजाम के बल बल जईए

मोहे सुहागन कर लीनी रे, मोसे नैना नैना मिलाईके

छाप तिलक सब छीनी रे, मोसे नैना मिलाईके

A mere glance by you has taken away my ‘self’ ( my looks and my identity )..I am now intoxicated by drinking the mixture produced by furnace of love and by your mere glance…

Your mere glance has clenched my fair delicate wrists ( which has Green bangles...Green bangles are worn in Saawan ( Spring Season), and is symbolic of season of love..

I totally bow unto you (walk on my knees.) ...my Master….I have merged into you ( got dyed by the dyer )…by your mere glance…I have become your bride ( my soul has become yours spiritually ) by your mere glance..

The no of people who have lent their voice to this composition is astounding. That speaks volumes about it. The one below by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is my favorite.

The most impressive recent usage has been the number 'Rangrej Mere…’ in the film Tanu Weds Manu. The lyrics are by Rajshekhar and the song is composed by Krsna. There are two versions – one sung by Krsna and other by Wadali Brothers. While both are good, the latter is pure and magical.

The song takes the word ‘Rangrej’ to profound heights. It explores the words in all possible forms, shades and hues.

I must confess that though I have been thinking about this blog for some time, but it was this song that pushed me to work on this blog. The translation I am quoting below is also done by Krsna.

As I conclude, I also came across some very recent composition in Peepli Live, where the word has been given a very different treatment. Here it talks about our nation as Rangrej and how it has colored us with its uniqueness. On our 66th Independence Day, this number is a very grim reminder that we have a long way to reach 'Purna Swaraj'.

देस मेरा रंगरेज ये बाबू , घाट घाट यहाँ घटता जादू ..

Thinking of colors also takes to me patriotic numbers - Rang De Basanti Chola, which I have not dealt with in this post.I am so enamored by this word, that I just can’t stop thinking about and admiring it.